| Product: |
Three - Sugababes |
| Date: |
15.01.04 (388 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Good quality music, good singing
Disadvantages: some songs are fillers
After the successes of the sugababes? second album ?angels with dirty faces? it was quite obvious they would return sooner or later with a third album. And indeed just over a year after ?angels with dirty faces? was released ?three? puts the babes back on the map.
With ?angels with dirty faces? the sugababes established a great pop/urban album, punching out two number ones and a few more top tenners. Gone was siobhan donaghy, who went off to make a more grown up, indie-esque record (which I must point out is really good, she has a beautiful voice go and buy it) and in came heidi range with an equally great voice to join keisha with the her sometimes annoyingly high voice and mutya, who from miles away could knock someone out with her dirty look, only to wake them up again with her soulful voice.
the babes were back on form, their moody looks and sultry, soulful voices matching the attitude of their rebel beats and sassy melodies perfectly.
So, have they cracked it with their latest offering? Arguably their previous album is better, but ?three? is definitely no disappointment, and of the fourteen tracks eleven will get played more than a few times by the listener.
The first track, comeback single and number one ?hole in the head? stands out on the album as still having that retro funk feel that was heard on the previous album. The scattering sound appears to herald the approach of something majestic, only to meet mutya?s voice with ?seven hours since you went away?? and her to carry on the verse singing about an ex-boyfreind. Coincidently the girls wrote this part of the song in school while donaghy was still with them, and the line ?I?ll sell my ass before I think of you? was written by another girl who hasn?t received a penny in royalties. And there I was starting to like the sugababes, bad girls. But anyway then it all kicks in, strumming guitars, irresistibly funky beats and the girls riding on it with ?why d?you cry-I-a-I fo
r the guy-I-a-I?say goodbye-I-ay-i..?only to go into the chorus of ?ooo boy?like a hole in the head?. The song doesn?t change much throughout, yet it?s typical sugababes; sassy, attitude-driven vocals, funky beats and an insanely catchy melody. A good start to the album, but quite different to anything else on ?three?.
The second track, ?whatever makes you happy? is one of the standout tracks on the album. It has a distinct urban (as in construction worker) feel to it and keisha sings the majority of the song. The backing of asian-esque ?aaaaa? is accompanied by striding beats remeniscent of ?freak like me? and the song is actually a bootleg, this time borrowing the stadium sized synths of Sly Fox's 'Let's Go All The Way'.
?Caught in the moment? is the first slow song on the album and like the star slowie of their previous effort the song shines in the same way ?stronger? did. The melody burns slowly over the song with the typical vocal harmonies and soul the babes are good at. ?Situation?s heavy? starts off well with a curious awakening intro only to go into a repetetive, bland filler. This also occurs with the next track ?Million different ways?, this time a song starting with a promising arabic tinged scattering melody only to go the same repetetive way as it?s predocessor. The babes are lucky they have a trademark sound and good voices otherwise these two tracks wouldn?t be any good.
Luckily it all picks up on ?twisted? with it?s bouncing beat that sounds EXACTLY like the intro to ?iodine? off ?revolution in me? by the former sugababe ms.donaghy. but this is soon forgotten by mutya curiosly singing ?my personality is quite rude??, charming. The rest of the song goes up and down in a good way and leads to ?we could have it all? with its drearily sang chorus. Passing the halfway stage of the album track number eight ?Conversation?s over? works well,being a little more serious then previous tracks and having better vocal
efforts, while ?in the middle? slams straight in with the ?I?m caught up in the middle? chorus to lead to another good song.
Strangely for a pop group after track nine the album on the whole gets better, and track ten is the best. ?Too lost in you? is a great take on feeling deeply for someone, showing the sugababes? softer side and a change from the usual ?ef off guys cos we are ladies? attitude or'I?m going to look inside myself to become stronger? feeling. All the girls sing with a passion and sound great. It was written by Diane Warren who also wrote ?don?t wanna miss a thing? for aerosmith and ?turn back time? for cher. The song hits it?s high on entering the last chorus with keisha belting out ?baby, baby, babyyy??in fine fashion. One of the best songs on the album and a great second single.
The electrical, urban beat of ?nasty ghetto? is all that the song is worth bothering with, only to be saved by the angry rants of ?buster? with it?s catchy chorus and again almost feminist attitude. ?sometimes?, track number twelve, is another slow song. Sung almost entirely by heidi it slowly drifts into it?s beautifully emotional chorus and ambers along with wonderful depth leaving the listener relaxed for the ending song ?mya?. This last track is also relaxing and reminiscent of 'welcome to tommorow',a song released by someone who I can't remember in 1994.Sung by mutya with the others as backing, 'mya' is about a girl called well, erm, mya who has passed away and mutya sings about them being together again amist lyrics relating to planets and the universe against a backdrop of rotating beats.
Another album, another great offering from the sugababes. It?s a lot darker and serious, as well as being more grown up, than their last offering. One thing that becomes noticeable however is their weakness. OK so they can sing so well and carry it all off with so much sophistication but some of the lyrics show the babes need to ca
ll in better co-writers. All the same, they deserve a round of applause for coming back with something this good...
Well done girls.
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